Opposition column

Conservative Coun Brian Essex

‘WATCH this Space’ was my final comment in my July Free Press column.

I was referring to the decisions that the Full Council meeting in July was to make.

It was to be the meeting of the century – financial decisions involving millions of pounds were to be made on the future of Rawtenstall town centre.

What actually happened?

Firstly, after lobbying it was realised by the Leader of the Council that an agenda with 22 items including a debate on the Local Plan and the decisions on the Spinning Point Phase 2, which to be held in ‘camera’ (a secret meeting with no press or public present) was totally impractical.

A further full council meeting was called for the following week!

In that week, again following lobbying and discussions with the Leader and Officers of the Council the original tabled resolutions were drastically changed.

No longer was the meeting in camera to be the final one – Full Council was not to be requested to authorize millions of pounds of spend.

Instead it was decided that further ‘due diligence’ and further work was to be reported to a new ‘working party’ of councillors which will be politically balanced (both Conservative and Labour).

Then and only then would the Leader return to Full Council with concrete proposals.

My fellow councillors and I wholeheartedly support this change of heart.

My Group have major reservations both on the balance of the development proposals and the financial risk to the Council and therefore the citizens of Rossendale.

Much more work has to be done to get this huge development right both in terms of what is proposed to be built and how it is to be paid for!

I have major concerns on level of risk that the Council has proposed.

Don’t get me wrong I am first to propose risk-taking, my professional career would bear testament to that.

However, when councillors are making decisions involving huge levels of funding, we need to know that decision is correct.

Even more when these decisions are made in secret because of ‘commercial confidentiality.’

Not all councils are taking these decisions in secret.

A recent Council meeting in Blackburn involving the decision to build a council-owned cinema on the old Waves site was held in public.

I will press for this to be the case in Rossendale.

The Council is pressing ahead with the plan to build a hotel in Rawtenstall.

I have major reservations and need to be convinced that the sound business case has been reached.

The planning permission granted by the Council’s own Development Control Committee was for a cinema or hotel to be built on the Kay Street site.

I, personally, would be ‘over the moon’ to see a commercial cinema but I accept that the financial cards are stacked against this proposal.

The plan to include a spa/wellness centre is an imaginative one and fits well with the Leisure Trust ‘offer’ across the Valley but again more work needs to be done to ensure that it has a long-term future.

On another note, I am to visit a high tech waste processing plant this week to see how another Council is dealing with its waste.

Technology has moved on and we as a Council should be looking at a major revision of waste collection and what the Council does with it.

Our levels of recycling are not good enough, our system of our waste vehicles driving across Lancashire to land-fill and the opportunity to save money should motivate us to change. WATCH THIS SPACE